Oral hygiene device

Abstract

An oral hygiene device is comprised of a hollow housing, having a weakened section in the periphery of the housing so that when the weakened section is broken, a user may grasp and separate the housing into two portions. A length of dental floss-like material is totally encased within a cavity in the unbroken housing and is secured at each end to two interior regions of the housing that are separated by the weakened section. The length of the dental floss-like element is sufficient to allow the two portions of the housing to be grasped with opposite hands of the user and disposed in spaced apart relationship with each other, thereby permitting the precoiled portion of the floss-like material to be straightened out and to be applied between adjacent teeth of the user, in conventional fashion.

I claim: 
     
       1. An oral hygiene device comprising a unitary housing, said housing defining a cavity therewithin, means to separate said housing into at least two portions, a flexible elongatable material, said material being permanently elongated once said material is stretched, said material completely filling said cavity when unelongated, said material having a pair of ends, one of said pair ends being secured within said cavity to one of said at least two portions of said housing, the other of said pair of ends being secured within said cavity to another of said at least two portions of said housing, said material being elongatable so as to have an exposed length equal to the distance separating said two portions when said housing is separated. 
     
     
       2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means to separate comprises said unitary housing having a weakened portion, said weakened portion being disposed within the periphery of the wall of said housing and encircling same at a location intermediate said pair of ends of said material. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said weakened portion comprises a plurality of indentations disposed in spaced apart relationship and extending partially within said wall. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing comprises a plastic material. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said material comprises an elastomeric compound, said compound being extensable. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further comprising said elastomeric material filling the entirety of said cavity when said housing defines a single cavity totally encapsulating said elastomeric material. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing is a right angle cylinder, having a pair of closed ends. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means to separate comprises said housing being frangibly separatable into said at least two portions thereof.